The Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program in eastern Arizona and New Mexico has long been hindered by illegal killings of the endangered animals. A recent study concluded it’s as big a factor in the population’s recovery as genetic diversity and health. Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

Snowflake is a small town in eastern Arizona. It’s got more deer and elk than people, and that can make it dangerous to navigate rural roads at night. That’s why students at Snowflake Junior High invented a system of flashing lights to warn drivers when a big animal is nearby. It’s an idea that will take them all the way to a national competition in New York.